This holy John the Evangelist, dearest brethren, makes known to us the plots of Herod, who had promised the Magi that he would come and worship the Lord. But this promise did not proceed from a good heart, as though he wished to worship the Lord. Rather he promised to come because he wished to kill Him, just as he killed many children. But the angel of the Lord, who is a minister in the heavens, seeing the plots of Herod, appeared to Joseph in a dream, and admonished him to take the child and His mother, and to flee into Egypt, lest Herod be able to accomplish his fury against the Lord, as he did against the children.
But holy Joseph, the bearer and nourisher of the Lord, the guardian of chastity, as soon as he was admonished by the angel, rose up with great zeal and solicitude, and fulfilled the commandments of God. And the Evangelist makes it plain when he says: Who, rising up, took the child and His mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt; and he was there until the death of Herod. In this passage, dearest brethren, we can know that Joseph himself was holy and good, because he did not fear the darkness of night: he did not wait for the day, and he did not turn aside to another quarter because of the unbelief of any faithless nation. But that very night he arose, took the child and His mother, and went on into Egypt; and he remained there until the death of Herod.
Then Herod, seeing that he had been deceived by the Magi, was exceedingly angry, and sending forth, he slew many children who were in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had learned from the Magi (Matt. 2). After Herod saw that his plots availed nothing, he was exceedingly angry, and commanded that all the children who were in Bethlehem of Judah be slain. For he reckoned that if all the children were slain, the one whom he sought could not escape. That wretched man, not reckoning that there is no wisdom, no prudence, no counsel against the Lord, when Herod himself ordered all the children to be slain, commanded that all the children who were two years old should be slain, and even children of one night.
This slaughter he made two years after the birth of Christ, for ecclesiastical history relates that at that time Herod himself, who had heard from the Magi that the king of the Jews had been born, received a summons from the emperor to go at once to Rome. For he had been vehemently accused by his enemies. Yet when he had come before the emperor and before all the Roman senate, he most honorably and wisely cleared himself of all that was said against him. For he was very clever and eloquent. But after this was done, on the emperor's part he was exalted with greater glory; so much so that he gave him a royal crown, and granted him the power of ruling in Judea.
And when he had returned into Judea with great glory after two years, then, recalling what he had heard from the Magi, that the king of the Jews had been born, he suddenly sent forth and slew all the children who were in Bethlehem. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: A voice was heard in Rama, weeping and much wailing. Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are not (Matt. 2). Rama in this passage is not the name of a city nor of any place, but signifies on high. It is as though he said: on high a voice was heard, and much weeping; because Rachel, that is, the holy Church, weeps for her children; that is, the holy Church groans for the persecution of the faithful.
And she is unwilling to receive that consolation, namely, that those who are crowned by martyrdom and reign with Christ should again return to fight in the struggles of this world. And one may understand it otherwise, namely, that the holy Church daily laments over those whom she cannot recall to repentance. But let us, beloved, insofar as God has granted us, keep an innocent life, and even if we cannot be martyrs in body, let us in mind follow those martyrs. Certainly if we abstain from evil desires and from wicked thoughts, and if we do the things that are right, we shall be able to be of the number of those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. May He grant us this, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives, etc.